Experiments in using technology outside its obvious purpose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Can a 20-year-old Athlon 64 X2 and Radeon HD 6570 handle 4K video? In Part 2, we explore the limits of H.264 hardware decoding through resolution, bitrate and multi-stream tests, then combine GPU and CPU decoding with optimized tile stitching to reconstruct full 4K video at real-time frame rates. <\/p><\/div>\n<\/li>
A collection of SLI and CrossFire systems spanning the evolution of multi-GPU computing \u2014 from Hybrid CrossFire and four-GPU CrossFireX to GeForce SLI and the later generations where multi-GPU scaling began to lose its meaning. These aren’t simply the fastest combinations of old graphics cards; they are period-matched enthusiast systems built around the idea that… <\/p><\/div>\n<\/li>
An experimental audio format that gives the compact disc a new role \u2014 carrying 24-bit \/ 44.1 kHz and 24-bit \/ 48 kHz audio alongside standard Red Book PCM, with lossless or near-lossless encoding. NAC1 keeps the physical ritual of CD playback: the disc can be read by a normal CD deck, while our own… <\/p><\/div>\n<\/li>
Turning Guardian from a network gateway into an active security layer \u2014 with DNS filtering, VLAN isolation, malicious-traffic detection and network-level content inspection. Legacy XP and Windows 7 PCs, smart-home devices and modern systems can coexist while Guardian controls who can talk to whom \u2014 and what traffic is allowed through. <\/p><\/div>\n<\/li>
What began as a small computer built around a Sound Blaster X-Fi Platinum Pro is growing into something much stranger: a complete modular audio system inspired by the hi-fi component stacks of the 1990s. With dedicated computers for the X-Fi, E-MU 0404 and CD drive, plus custom speakers, old PC hardware takes on an entirely… <\/p><\/div>\n<\/li>
A low-power Mini-ITX board, a Windows XP SSD and a Sound Blaster X-Fi Platinum Pro come together in an unconventional role: not as a conventional PC with a sound card, but as a dedicated digital audio appliance. By designing the computer around the X-Fi itself, the project turns early-2000s PC audio hardware into something Creative… <\/p><\/div>\n<\/li>
An old Core 2 Quad transformed into a dedicated Linux network gateway and server, with 10 GbE, dual 2.5 GbE and four Gigabit Ethernet ports. Guardian stands between the internet and the home network \u2014 and gives vulnerable legacy PCs a modern security layer. <\/p><\/div>\n<\/li>
A dedicated video server built to convert 4K H.265 sources into widely compatible H.264 streams, exploring how older hardware can still be useful when the workload is carefully chosen. <\/p><\/div>\n<\/li>
A \u20ac2,000\u2013\u20ac3,000 universal disc player can look almost magical from the outside. A substantial metal chassis, a UHD Blu-ray mechanism, carefully designed audio circuitry, multiple digital outputs, network playback, and an appliance-like interface all working together in a single box. But underneath that polished exterior, the fundamental functions are not particularly mysterious. A computer can… <\/p><\/div>\n<\/li>
What happens when a high-end old DVD player, a professional analog capture card, and a modern GPU are combined into a video pipeline they were never designed for? <\/p><\/div>\n<\/li><\/ul>\n\n